Millennials’ New Favorite Magazine

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Coca-Cola Romania recently took a cue from Willa Wonka, creating a campaign that offered customers a chance to win the Millennial equivalent of a “golden ticket”—festival passes—via innovative packaging. The beverage company released a limited number of Festival Bottles, the labels of which featured detachable wristbands in one of eight unique designs. After purchasing a bottle, customers scanned the wristbands using an accompanying app to see if they had chosen a winner, which would grant them entry to some of the country’s most popular music festivals. The clever campaign resulted in an 11% rise in sales, not to mention a frenzy of people collecting and wearing the wristbands even if they weren’t winners. Festival season may be winding down stateside, but brands take note for next year!

The Cannes Film Festival wrapped up this week, but not before making its mark on the internet. While one of the more notable moments was Jessica Chastain’s much-applauded feminist critique of the narrow portrayal of women in films, it thankfully wasn’t all gender doom and gloom with They, an impactful debut from Iranian director Anahita Ghazvinzadeh. The film follows a teen called J, who, while born male, feels trapped in their body and has chosen to use gender-neutral pronouns (an area in which the English language is clearly lacking) while deciding whether to transition. Audiences follow J and their family during for a week capturing the struggles of their journey. As Gen Z comes of age and embraces gender-fluidity more than any generation before, stories like the one told in They will be increasingly important to their exploration of their own gender identities and expression.

The company that changed the hospitality game is now rewriting the book quite literally on print travel journals. Newly launched Airbnbmag is part travel guide, part cultural digest, and priced at $15 for 6 issues. With articles such as “Hang Like Hamilton,” a guide to Alexander Hamilton’s favorite places in New York, and “Not Yet Trending,” which touts the charms of Porvoo, Finland and urges readers to go before it becomes too mainstream, the magazine further positions the app as a lifestyle brand that we all want in on. While it remains to be seen whether travelers will be enticed into a paid subscription, Airbnbmag will undoubtedly continue the brand’s efforts in helping audiences travel like a local by curating insider tips from locals and off the beaten path destinations, all booked through Airbnb, of course.

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Ever since Pokémon GO brought AR to the mainstream in a frenzy, the technology has continued to explode in popularity, with social media and messaging platforms racing to integrate it more into their features every day. This rapid takeover continues with new app Gabsee, a platform best described as bitmoji on steroids. Unlike bitmoji, the popular app in which users create 2D cartoon representations and stickers of themselves to use in messaging, Gabsee users can generate 3D avatars of themselves and use the app’s AR technology to layer their digital character into real world environments. These days, whether they have 10 followers or 10 million followers, everyone has become a content creator and apps like Gabsee makes creating fun, post-worthy material easier than ever.

Nike is kicking off Pride month in style today with the release of its 2017 BETRUE Collection. Available in select cities around the globe, the colorful collection features stylish popular products such as the Flyknit Racer, VaporMax, Air Zoom Pegasus, the classic Cortez, rainbow socks, and t-shirts with “Be True and “Equality” inscribed on them. While the line originally launched in 2012 as a grassroots effort by Nike employees to support the LGBTQ collective, it has grown considerably in response to increasing demand from consumers outside of this community. Given that people have become extremely conscious in choosing brands that align with their values, we think the rainbow gear is a powerful statement on inclusivity that many will want to put their dollars behind.

What do celebrities, selfies, and charity all have in common? CSnaps, an app co-founded by former Bon Jovi guitarist-turned-techpreneur Richie Sambora, who is harnessing our obsession with celebrities to raise money for good causes. The app features three ways in which people can give back: the Fan CSnap, which allows a fan to digitally take a selfie with their favorite celebrity for a donation, the Verified Celebrity CSnap, which turns the latest tabloid fodder and breaking news into a charitable donation opportunity, and the Inspirational CSnap, for those who aren’t a megastar, but still want to advocate and raise funds for a cause they care about. Although still in the ramping up phase, we love the idea behind CSnaps and hope to see many of our favorite celebs and charities on it soon.

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